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Along with shoot 'em ups, beat 'em ups are traditionally at home in the arcades. The term "beat 'em up" can refer to one of two similar but distinct kinds of game.

Side-scrolling beat 'em ups

In this type, one or more players (most often two, but sometimes as high as six) each choose a unique character, and team up to fight through a horde of computer-controlled enemies. The fighting happens in a series of side-scrolling stages, each with a powerful 'boss' enemy at the end. In the most common variation, players can move away and toward the screen as well as left and right, although earlier beat 'em ups such as Kung Fu were less likely to have full two-dimensional movement.

Capcom revolutionised the genre with Final Fight (1989), and continued to produce some of the best games in the genre throughout the late 1980s to mid 1990s. At the its height, the side-scroller was one of the most popular kind of arcade game (a Simpsons beat 'em up was released in 1991), but they have since fallen out of fashion.

One-on-one beat 'em ups / Fighters

In the other kind of beat 'em ups, also called 'fighters', battles are staged between two human-controlled characters with various strengths and weaknesses over three bouts, with the winner either knocking out the rival, causing him to leave the ring or fairing better over the majority of the bout. The combatants are either unarmed or armed with close fighting weapons (swords, sticks, nunchaka, clubs, and so on). Fighters are competitive rather than cooperative, and are some of the most-played games in national and international gaming tournaments.

Developers

Capcom are best known for the 2D Street Fighter (1987) series which has spawned dozens of versions, but made famous by Street Fighter II (1991). Since then, subsequent incarnations have seen the roster of fighters evolve and swell, leaving at times just the main two characters. This is typical of the evolution of a fighting game series.

Contrasting with Capcom's approach is SEGA's AM2, developers of the 3D Virtua Fighter series (1993), which has seen just four and a bit versions. Each new installment brings with it years of carefully refined mechanics, style and gameplay and is always a big event.

Namco, the creators of Tekken and Soul Calibur (1998), are the other major player in the fighter world. The Tekken series is similar to Virtua Fighter in that the characters are unarmed and the game has a modern, realistic theme. In the Soul Calibur series, characters fight with a variety of melee weapons, and the setting is supernatural and pseudo-historical.

Glossary of common fighter terms

Block: When a character is blocking, he is in a defensive state that protects him from being damaged by his opponent's moves. Usually there is more than one kind of block (most often 'high' and 'low), each of which protects against and is vulnerable to different classes of moves. In most games, blocking can be countered by a throw move.

Combo: Short for 'combination', a combo is a series of attacks that cannot be blocked if the first hit is not blocked. The use of the term originated with Street Fighter II, in which combos were performed by hitting with one move and then interrupting its 'recovery time' with the inputs for another move (this technique is called 'buffering'). However, many fighters today do not have this sort of combo, and instead rely on stun, or 'dial-a-combos' (sequences of moves specifically programmed to be combos).

Life: (Also called energy, health, or vitality) A character's life is how much more damage he can take, and is usually represented by a bar at the top of the screen. When a character's life is reduced to 0 or below, he dies or is knocked out, depending on the game.

Special move: A move is simply a fighting technique such as a kick or a throw. Each character will have many moves, each performed by a different combination of joystick movements and/or button presses. A 'special move' is a unique, sometimes difficult-to-perform move that often has an exaggerated or supernatural effect.

Stun: If a character is stunned, he is in a temporary state of helplessness. This usually means the opponent is guaranteed a 'free hit'.

King of Fighters series
Guilty Gear series
Marvel.. series
Mortal Kombat series
Powerstone series
Rise of the Robots
Soul Calibur series
Street Fighter series
Tekken series
Virtua Fighter series
X-Men series

See also : Video game

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 Along with [[Video game/Shoot em ups|shoot 'em ups]], beat 'em ups are traditionally at home in the arcades. The term "beat 'em up" can refer to one of two similar but distinct kinds of game.
+== Side-scrolling beat 'em ups ==
-In one kind, also called 'side-scrollers', one or more players (most often two, but sometimes as high as six) each choose a unique character, and team up to fight through a horde of computer-controlled enemies. The fighting happens in a series of side-scrolling stages of increasing difficulty, usually each with a single powerful 'boss' enemy at the end. In the most popular variation, players can move away and toward the screen as well as left and right; earlier beat 'em ups, however (e.g. Kung Fu, Two Crude Dudes) were less likely to have full two-dimensional movement.
+In this type, one or more players (most often two, but sometimes as high as six) each choose a unique character, and team up to fight through a horde of computer-controlled enemies. The fighting happens in a series of side-scrolling stages, each with a powerful 'boss' enemy at the end. In the most common variation, players can move away and toward the screen as well as left and right, although earlier beat 'em ups such as Kung Fu were less likely to have full two-dimensional movement.
-Capcom revolutionised the genre with Final Fight, and continued to produce some of the best games in the genre throughout the late 1980s to mid 1990s. At the its height, the side-scroller was one of the most popular kind of arcade game (a [[Simpsons]] beat 'em up was released in 1991), but they have since fallen out of fashion.
+Capcom revolutionised the genre with Final Fight (1989), and continued to produce some of the best games in the genre throughout the late 1980s to mid 1990s. At the its height, the side-scroller was one of the most popular kind of arcade game (a [[Simpsons]] beat 'em up was released in 1991), but they have since fallen out of fashion.
-In the other kind of beat 'em ups, also called 'fighters', battles are typically staged between two human-controlled opponents with various strengths and weaknesses over three bouts, with the winner either knocking out (K.O.) the rival or fairing better over the majority of the bout. The combatants are either unarmed or armed with close fighting weapons (swords, sticks, nunchaka, clubs, and so on). Fighters are competitive rather than cooperative, and have featured in many national and international competitive gaming tournaments.
+== One-on-one beat 'em ups / Fighters ==
+In the other kind of beat 'em ups, also called 'fighters', battles are staged between two human-controlled characters with various strengths and weaknesses over three bouts, with the winner either knocking out the rival, causing him to leave the ring or fairing better over the majority of the bout. The combatants are either unarmed or armed with close fighting weapons (swords, sticks, nunchaka, clubs, and so on). Fighters are competitive rather than cooperative, and are some of the most-played games in national and international gaming tournaments.
 == Developers ==
+[[Capcom]] are best known for the 2D [[Street Fighter]] (1987) series which has spawned dozens of versions, but made famous by Street Fighter II (1991). Since then, subsequent incarnations have seen the roster of fighters evolve and swell, leaving at times just the main two characters.  This is typical of the evolution of a fighting game series.
-Just as in other genres there are several well respected developers.
+Contrasting with Capcom's approach is [[SEGA]]'s [[SEGA/AM2|AM2]], developers of the 3D [[Virtua Fighter]] series (1993), which has seen just four and a bit versions. Each new installment brings with it years of carefully refined mechanics, style and gameplay and is always a big event.
-[[Capcom]] are the best known for the 2D [[Street Fighter]] (1991) series which has spawned dozens of versions, but made famous by Street Fighter II and Street Fighter II CE. Since then subsequent incarnations have seen the roster of fighters evolve and swell, leaving at times just the main two characters (Ryu and Ken from the original Street Fighter II line up).  This is typical of the evolution of a fighting game series.
+[[Namco]], the creators of [[Tekken]] and [[Soul Calibur]] (1998), are the other major player in the fighter world. The Tekken series is similar to Virtua Fighter in that the characters are unarmed and the game has a modern, realistic theme. In the Soul Calibur series, characters fight with a variety of melee weapons, and the setting is supernatural and pseudo-historical.
-Contrasting with [[Capcom]]'s approach is [[SEGA]]'s [[SEGA/AM2|AM2]], developers of the 3D [[Virtua Fighter]] series, which has seen just four and a bit versions since its inception in 1993. Each new installment brings with it years of carefully refined mechanics, style and gameplay and is always a big event.
+== Glossary of common fighter terms ==
-[[Namco]], the creators of [[Tekken]] and [[Soul Calibur]] (1998), are the other major player in the fighter world. The Tekken series (games: Tekken 1 through 4 and Tekken Tag Tournament) is similar to Virtua Fighter in that the characters are unarmed and movement around the arena is relatively limited. In the Soul Calibur series (games: Soul Blade, Soul Calibur, Soul Calibur II), characters fight with a variety of martial arts weapons, and 3D movement is a larger part of the gameplay.
+; Block : When a character is blocking, he is in a defensive state that protects him from being damaged by his opponent's moves. Usually there is more than one kind of block (most often 'high' and 'low), each of which protects against and is vulnerable to different classes of moves. In most games, blocking can be countered by a throw move.
-== Glossary of common beat 'em up terms ==
+; Combo : Short for 'combination', a combo is a series of attacks that cannot be blocked if the first hit is not blocked. The use of the term originated with Street Fighter II, in which combos were performed by hitting with one move and then interrupting its 'recovery time' with the inputs for another move (this technique is called 'buffering'). However, many fighters today do not have this sort of combo, and instead rely on stun, or 'dial-a-combos' (sequences of moves specifically programmed to be combos).
-; Life : (Also called energy, health, or vitality) A character's life is his physical well-being. When a character's life is reduced to 0 or below, he dies or is knocked out, depending on the game. Characters lose life from taking damage, usually by failing to block an opponent's move.
+; Life : (Also called energy, health, or vitality) A character's life is how much more damage he can take, and is usually represented by a bar at the top of the screen. When a character's life is reduced to 0 or below, he dies or is knocked out, depending on the game.
 ; Special move : A move is simply a fighting technique such as a kick or a throw. Each character will have many moves, each performed by a different combination of joystick movements and/or button presses. A 'special move' is a unique, sometimes difficult-to-perform move that often has an exaggerated or supernatural effect.
+; Stun : If a character is stunned, he is in a temporary state of helplessness. This usually means the opponent is guaranteed a 'free hit'.
-; Block : When a character is blocking, he is in a defensive state that protects him from being damaged by his opponent's moves. Usually there is more than one kind of block (most often 'high' and 'low), each of which protects against and is vulnerable to different classes of moves. In most games, blocking can be countered by a throw move.
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 * [[King of Fighters]] series
+* [[Guilty Gear]] series
 * [[Marvel/videogame|Marvel..]] series
 * [[Mortal Kombat]] series